About the Project
As emphasized in the Erasmus 2021-2027 Program priorities, in our project called Digital Effective Self-School Assessment for Sustainable School Development (Digiessa4schools), in order to ensure continuity in school development, we aim to develop an effective digital self-evaluation model compatible with external evaluation in which all stakeholders, especially disadvantaged individuals, participate (where their voices can be heard).
With the self-evaluation model compatible with external evaluation, it will contribute to the creation of a quality assurance system in which the quality of the school’s educational services is constantly evaluated and improved. Ensuring the participation of all school-related stakeholders in the self-evaluation process and making the voices of disadvantaged individuals heard is an important element that will increase the effectiveness of self-evaluation. Our project will be an innovative model that will ensure continuity in school development and increase quality, which includes all these features.
Project Period: 24 Months
Our Motivation
To ensure continuity in school development, we aim to develop an effective digital self-evaluation model compatible with external evaluation, in which all stakeholders and especially disadvantaged individuals participate (where their voices can be heard).
Our partners, consisting of Inspection Agencies, Universities, General Directorates of Education, Education Directorates and NGOs, need to develop the Digiessa4schools model from different perspectives. The institutional capacities of our partners, the horizontal and vertical collaborations between the partners, the expertise of the inspectors, academicians, education managers, teachers and informatics who will take part in the project are at a level that will enable the project to reach the expected targets, outputs and results successfully.
Our Target Group
Our primary target audience is school principals, teachers, education administrators, inspectors, academics and project partner institution personnel in our country and Project partner countries. Participants working in different types of institutions will have the opportunity to share ideas, knowledge, experience, and observe good practices. With educational activities; It is aimed to increase the participants’ ability to develop and implement effective self-assessment and school improvement procedures and to benefit from the results of self-evaluation. In addition, it is expected that those who are especially engaged in mobility and learning and teaching activities should have information about the education system of the relevant countries, the inspection and inspection system and the functioning of the institutions. We also expect the secondary effects of the project on the participants, such as foreign language learning, cultural awareness and the development of European values.
In the pilot implementation and dissemination activities, academicians, inspectors, school principals, family associations, parents, teachers and students who are not involved in the project will also be targeted. Because, in the Effective Digital Self-Assessment Model, many issues such as what the duties and responsibilities of these groups are, how they will be involved in the process, how they will receive the necessary training will be discussed, studied and concluded. In the effective self-evaluation model, which is a collaborative and participatory process among all these stakeholders, we expect the stakeholders to learn the process and contribute to the development of the school. School principals, teachers, students and parents participating in the self-evaluation process will gain the ability to self-assess, identify the causes of failure and solve problems. Participation of students and parents in the self-evaluation process will give students and parents a sense of responsibility in increasing success at school. EU goals, the school will become a self-learning, self-evaluating and constantly improving organization, and success in the school will increase.
Main Activities in the Project
5 main activities will be carried out in the project:
- Work package n°1 “Project Management”
- Preparation of an Effective Digital Self-Assessment for Sustainable School Development (DIGI ESSA 4 SCHOOL) Report
- Development of DIGI ESSA 4 SCHOOL Model
- Development of DIGI ESSA 4 SCHOOL Application Software and Design
- Pilot Implementation, Symposium, Roadmap and Policy Recommendation Preparation.
In addition, three training activities and four project meetings will be organized to increase the professional competencies of the participants and consolidate the project outputs.
Project Outputs
- Effective Digital Self-Assessment Report for Sustainable School Improvement (Output 1)
- DIGI ESSA 4 SCHOOL Model (Output 2)
- DIGI ESSA 4 SCHOOL Application Software and Design (Output 3)
- Pilot Implementation Results, Symposium Report, Roadmap and Policy Recommendation Report (Output
Our Project Logo, as a result of the voting with the participation of all our partners, our Erasmus+ KA220-SCH DIGI ESSA 4 SCHOOLS project logo was determined among 12 logos.
Completion of Work Packages
- On December 22, 2022, our project started with the project contract signed between the National Agency and the coordinator institution, the Inspection Board Presidency.
- In order to ensure effective communication with the project partners: project e-mail address (digi4esse@gmail.com), drive account, social media accounts (Instagram-digiessa4school, Facebook-digiessa4school, X-Twitter: digiessa4school, Linkedin: digiessa4school) and whatsApp group has been created.
- As a result of discussions with the project partners, the project kick-off meeting is scheduled for February 9–10, 2023. The project will be carried out between the dates of the meeting. In order to ensure effective project management and implementation activities, the following committees were established with at least one representative from each partner organization, and their terms of reference were defined.
2.1. Activity: TPM 1 Project Kick-off Meeting (KB)
It was held on February 9–10, 2023, at the Ankara Basket Teacher Training Center with a total of 35 participants. The aims and objectives of the project, the origins of the project idea, the project steps, the role of each partner in these steps, and the project schedule were explained by the coordinating organization.
The work packages in the project were explained in detail by the lead organizations. In this context, presentations were made by ULISBOA/PT for WP 2, TKB/TR for WP 3, UJI/SP for WP 4, and A MEM/TR for WP 5.
2.2. Activity: Needs Analysis and Reporting (HU)
The Needs Analysis Questionnaire was administered to a sample of 410 participants in Turkey, 197 in Italy, 59 in the Netherlands, 721 in Portugal, 2377 in Romania, and 44 in Spain (secondary school level, teachers, administrators, supervisors, and parents/guardians.
2.3. Activity: LTT1: Learning Existing Self-Assessment Practices in Partner Countries and EU Dimension (ULiSBOA)
The first LTTA activity of our project took place in Portugal on 08-12 May 2023 with a total of 27 participants (targeted 20 participants), including academics, inspectors, education managers, experts and teachers, from the staff of the project partners. applications, and their professional skills and knowledge in the field of self-assessment have increased.
2.4. Activity: Preparing an Digital Effective Self-School Assessment for Sustainable School Development (ULISBOA)
As a result of the work carried out under Work Package 2 from the start of the project until July 2023, the report has been prepared in collaboration with all partners under the coordination of the ULISBOA team, taking into account the know-how of academics who are experts in their field and the opinions and suggestions of teachers, school administrators, and experts working in the field.
This work package focuses on developing a model and a toolkit that will enable schools to conduct their self-assessment processes more efficiently and effectively in a digital environment.
TPM 2 – First Interim Evaluation Meeting (EduXprss):
Held online on September 5-6, 2023, this meeting brought together project partners to evaluate the progress of the first 8 months of the project and plan the next steps. A total of 16 participants attended the meeting.LTT2 – Training on Developing an Effective Digital School Self-Assessment Model (UNIFI):
Organized in Italy on June 5-9, 2023, this training was attended by 28 participants, including teachers, academics, inspectors, education administrators, and experts. The training covered topics such as effective digital self-assessment models, assessment areas, criteria, data collection and analysis methods, and the use of digital tools. In addition to theoretical knowledge, participants also enhanced their skills in digital self-assessment tools through hands-on activities.Development of an Effective School Self-Assessment Toolkit (TKB):
This activity resulted in the creation of an inclusive and sustainable self-assessment model and toolkit, supported by digital tools, to facilitate the continuous improvement of teaching and learning processes in schools. The model includes criteria, indicators, data collection tools (surveys and numerical data), analysis, and reporting methods for evaluating educational processes based on quality standards. Additionally, to ensure active participation from stakeholders (students, teachers, administrators, and parents) and to support the inclusion of disadvantaged students, an assessment domain based on inclusivity and equity principles has been integrated. A software infrastructure has been developed to enable self-assessments to be conducted, analyzed, and reported quickly and accurately in a digital environment. Finally, a comprehensive toolkit and implementation guide have been prepared to guide the self-assessment process.
This work package focuses on developing software and a design that digitalizes self-assessment processes, enabling schools to conduct assessments more quickly and efficiently.
TPM 3 – Second Interim Evaluation Meeting (ISIJP):
Held in Romania from March 13-15, 2024, this meeting was attended by 16 participants. The progress of the first 16 months of the project was evaluated in terms of goal achievement, project management, and budget utilization. Additionally, outputs from WP2 and WP3 were reviewed and improved, while software development, pilot implementation, and dissemination activities for WP4 and WP5 were planned.DIGI ESSA 4 SCHOOL Application Software and Design (HU & UJI):
This activity resulted in the development of software and a design that enables self-assessment to be conducted quickly and efficiently via computers and smartphones. The software simplifies data collection, analysis, and reporting processes while offering a user-friendly interface. Additionally, digital solutions have eliminated workforce and paper waste, promoting an eco-friendly approach. The software is easily accessible through the project website.
To explore and use the software, visit: https://sat.digiessa4schools.comLTT3 – Training on Implementing the Digital Effective School Self-Assessment Toolkit (EDUXPRSS):
Organized in the Netherlands from April 22-26, 2024, this training was attended by 21 participants. It focused on enhancing the digital self-assessment tool usage skills of teachers, administrators, inspectors, and academics. Participants developed competencies in utilizing self-assessment results to create and monitor effective school improvement plans. Additionally, best practices from European countries were examined, and innovative approaches for professional development were shared.
This work package covers the pilot implementations, dissemination activities, and sustainability strategies of the developed self-assessment model and software.
Pilot Implementation and Reporting of Results (ANKARA PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE OF NATIONAL EDUCATION):
The DIGI ESSA 4 SCHOOLS digital self-assessment tool was piloted in six countries, involving a diverse group of 1,030 participants, including students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and inspectors. The pilot results were analyzed and reported, and the model was improved based on the collected data.Symposium Organization (TKB):
To ensure the widespread dissemination of project outputs and results, symposiums were held in Turkey (85 participants), Italy (13), Romania (86), Spain (22), Portugal (10), and the Netherlands (10), totaling 226 participants. These symposiums introduced the digital self-assessment model and software, shared success stories from pilot schools, and discussed the model’s applicability.Roadmap for Practitioners and Policy Recommendation Report (ANKARA PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE OF NATIONAL EDUCATION):
A “Roadmap for Practitioners and Policy Recommendation Report” was prepared to expand the project’s reach and inform relevant stakeholders. This report provided recommendations for integrating, implementing, and sustaining the digital self-assessment model within education systems.TPM4 Final Meeting (UJI):
Held in Spain on November 5-6, 2024, this meeting was attended in person by 20 participants, while the ULisboa team participated online due to a flood disaster. The meeting included a comprehensive project evaluation, completion of the final report preparations, sustainability planning, and identification of future collaborations.